Library of teambuilding games & icebreakers

How to play Recall quiz (at the end of an event)

How about a little icebreaker to wrap things up? Most icebreakers are at the beginning, but with longer events, we suggest interspersing them throughout - including the end. Have everyone go around the room and share their biggest takeaway from the day. Or, have a list of quiz-style questions that you ask everyone and see who can remember the most answers. Recall is an important part of memory, so this is a great time to reiterate the concepts that you really want people to take away.

Looking for a team-building game that never has to end? Try Question Tag. It’s simple, accessible, and unites the team without having to take time off work or arrange an actual event.

How to play Question tag

To play, team members “tag” each other by asking one of their colleagues a question. The recipient answers it, repeats the same question and answer to another colleague, and then asks them a new question. You can play by passing notes, but we think it’s best as an ongoing email exchange. Just make sure everyone gets involved, rather than a few individuals who keep asking themselves questions!

How to play 6 word memoir

This is a challenging exercise that is good for creativity as well as getting more personal. To complete it, have each person use six words to describe their life up until this point, then share it with the group. They can pick six random words that describe their life, or they can create a sort of title based on experiences. It will be interesting to see the different approaches people take to this.

How to play Limbo Contest

Instructions: Set up a limbo pole using a long stick or pole. Participants take turns attempting to pass under the pole by leaning backward without touching it. Gradually lower the pole after each round. The person who can go the lowest without touching the pole wins.

Materials needed: Limbo pole or stick.

Limbo Contest adds a fun and interactive element to the picnic. It encourages flexibility, balance, and friendly competition. It creates an atmosphere of excitement and laughter, bringing joy to both participants and spectators.

Ready to channel your inner child and do something silly as a team? This hilarious energizing exercise involves colleagues listening to instructions and pressing different parts of their bodies to objects around the office, depending on their color. Sounds bonkers, right? So let us explain…

How to play Pink toe

You – the facilitator – start the activity by calling out a body part and a color. The team then has to find items in the office that have that particular color and touch it/them with the chosen body part! For instance, if you called out “gray elbow”, people would run around finding something gray to put their elbow on.

The basic version of this game’s fun, but adding a competitive element can make it even better. Why not set a time constraint for completing each task? Or limit the number of people who can touch a particular item? If they take too long or can’t find something to touch, they’re out; the last workmate remaining is the winner.

How to play “I expect”

You can kick off a training session and spur engagement with this simple exercise. You’ll need a blank wall and a few colored post-it notes. Break the white board or chalkboard into 4 quadrants and label them “the training”, “the trainer”, “from myself”, and “from attendees”. Each participant should take a turn filling out 4 post-its that begin “I expect”. For example, “I expect from the training to learn how to better resolve customer conflicts.” Everyone should place their sticky notes in the appropriate quadrant. Then the moderator should go through and read them, highlighting which ones are repeated often.

A really simple activity, this game teaches people how to proactively engage new people. Everyone will need a pen and paper.

Start with these instructions:

1. Have everyone imagine a scenario where they are traveling for a work trip.
2. Have people in pairs and have one person pretend that they have reading materials or other items to prepare for a big meeting.
3. At that point, the other person should find a way to ask “what do you do?” or “where do you work?”
4. The other player should find a way to lead to a successful sales pitch.

The basic idea is to get people more comfortable starting conversations with strangers and incorporating work information.

How to play "Steal the bacon”

A very competitive game, the goal of this activity is to steal an item from the middle of a group. How does it work? Divide a large group into two smaller ones, and assign everyone on Team A and Team B a number. For example, each person on both teams gets a number 1-10. Then have the teams stand opposite of each other with the object in the middle. Have a moderator announce a number randomly, and then that number from each team will attempt to grab the object and take it back to their side. This is a very physical game, so keep your team in mind when suggesting it.

How to play Whose story is it

This is a really engaging icebreaker game for smaller groups and teams who have known each other for years. Have everyone write down a funny or interesting (true) story on a small piece of paper. Then take all of the papers and place them into a hat to be drawn. The facilitator should randomly choose stories and read them aloud. Then, every player should guess who wrote the story. This is a great way to learn new things about people that you may have known for a long time.

Archery is a classic game that also can be a little dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing. Luckily, there is a way to play the game, office style, using a common stationary material: the rubber band.

How to play Rubber band archery

Instead of a bow and arrow, players use their fingers to pull back the band and shoot it at the target. Marking out a spot on the floor with packing tape, team members all shoot from the same location at the target, which can be anything that makes it evident that it was hit, like a bell or bowling pin.

How to play Top Five

In this game, you’ll ask players to come up with their five favorites across several categories. Each player can make a list and then share with the larger group. The options for categories are nearly limitless and you should try to cater them to your audience. Try creating “best-of” lists for these categories:

• Movies
• TV shows
• Books
• Songs
• Vacations
• Desserts
• Websites
• Celebrities
• Blogs
• Animals
• Brands
• Apps

How to play Three-line scene

Anyone who’s played beginner improv games before may have encountered a game called “Yes, and”. In it, people work together to build an increasingly ridiculous story. For example:

• Person 1: “I went to the gym this morning.”
• Person 2: “Yes, and your arms look fantastic.”
• Person 3: “Yes, and they’d be perfect for arm wrestling.”
• Person 1: “Yes, and I want to tattoo my partner’s name on them.”
• Person 2: “Yes, and they’ll probably want to marry you after.”

Three-Line Scene takes that concept and simplifies it. This time, pairs of colleagues work together to say one line each, using “yes, and” to build on whatever the previous person said. Heads up, it works best when you say statements vs questions. For example:

• Person 1: “I went to the gym this morning.”
• Person 2: “Yes, and you’re making me feel guilty about eating this cake.”
• Person 1: “Yes, and I’m not going to stop until you become my gym partner.”

The aim is to move fast, think quickly, and not worry about saying the ‘right thing’. The game works well because it rewards creativity and is inherently positive. Those enthusiastic “yes, and” responses embolden new improvisers and make them feel comfortable thinking on their feet and contributing to the task.

We don’t have to explain how helpful that is to team collaboration! The fact teammates practice the art of agreeing with their colleagues (vs dismissing their suggestions) is useful too. With any luck, it’ll transfer into everyday conversations.

How to host Snack tastings

If you don’t want so much focus on alcoholic drinks, try sticking with snacks. Who doesn’t love snacking? A snack pairing can be a really good idea if you have a culturally diverse staff. Have everyone bring or suggest one of their favorite snacks and the drink that is best served with it. This can range from a fancy hors d'oeuvre to a decadent dessert. Or, simply have everyone research a geographic area and bring in the region’s most popular snack for everyone to try. This is an easy DIY event that you can host without needing a particular space, though you may need room to set everything up.

Everybody likes to draw! This game is a fun opportunity for colleagues to relax and have some fun. The game is very simple, and it goes like this…

How to play Forensic artists

Step 1: Split the group into teams, you can have as many teams as you like, with a minimum of two per group.

Step 2: Explain that a crime has been committed, but fortunately one person from each team spotted the suspect.

Step 3: Using a random face generator, create a face for the witnesses to describe.

Step 4: The witnesses must try their best to describe the face they are seeing to their team members.

Step 5: The other members of the teams must try to draw the face as accurately as possible based upon the descriptions.

Step 6: The team with the most accurate sketch wins!

How tall can you go? In spaghetti towers, teams use dry spaghetti and marshmallows to build the tallest structure possible within a set time limit. It’s a challenge of creativity, problem-solving, and a little bit of engineering.

This game encourages teamwork, planning, and resourcefulness, as teams work together to build a stable tower. Plus, it’s hilarious to see which towers soar and which ones collapse in a heap of spaghetti and marshmallows!

How to play:

• Split into teams and give each team dry spaghetti and marshmallows.
• Teams must build the tallest tower possible within the time limit.
• The tallest (and most stable) tower wins!

How to play Blind sketching

This is a great communication exercise and is simple to play at work. The goal of the game is for a player to draw an object that was described correctly. It’s similar to charades, with a player sketches something based on gestures instead of words. You don’t need any special drawing skills, but you do need a pen and paper. It’s also helpful to have a larger open space where people can spread out and draw. Start by pairing off two players as a team. One player will make gestures describing an item and the other participant will draw. If the pair comes up with an accurate drawing of the described item, they win!

This game is all about mental energy. Easy to play and can be done anywhere from a break room, to the office common space, mental gymnastics can be any type of quick trivia game, even including Pictionary if you have a lot of artists on your team.

Perfect for teams, trivia encourages employees to work together, relying on their smarts and pop culture knowledge. You can even make the game workplace specific and test how much your team knows about one another, ultimately bringing them closer together.

Frostbite’s an effective trust-building exercise that encourages strong communication and listening skills – not to mention teamwork as a whole. Like the other activities in this section, it works best if you’re in an open space, so head on down to the local park (or clear an area in the office!).

How to play Frostbite

When you get there, break your employees into smaller teams of 5 to 6 people and ask each group to choose a leader (or do this for them if there are certain people you think would benefit from this role). Their objective?

To build a makeshift “tent” using newspaper, string, tape, and other office supplies*! But there’s a catch...

The leader of each group has “frostbite” and can’t move. And, to make matters worse, the other members have “snow blindness” and can’t see. In reality, this involves asking the leader not to do anything practical and putting blindfolds on the others. The only way to pitch the “tent” is to listen to the leader’s directions.

Spice things up even more by setting a time limit. The team with the best tent at the end wins a prize.

*Of course, this same principle can apply to any task, which is good news if you’re short on time and/or want an easier activity!

What you need:

• Blindfolds
• Office supplies to build the “tent”
• Stopwatch

How to play Share your superpower

Another easy variation on an icebreaker is to share what your superpower would be. As everyone stands and introduces themselves, ask them to include some information on the special talents that make them unique. They can use their imagination for most desired superpowers like teleporting, or they can list some actual talents such as speedy present-wrapping or fantastic filing. It’s a nice way to learn a bit more about the people around you and what makes them special (plus, you might learn about who you can go to when you need some help with certain tasks).

This simple game needs little material and is a perfect icebreaker—a perfect in-person game for company retreats and onboarding events.

How to play:  

‍One person from the group, ideally a team leader, calls out the facts or questions that team members just asked one another. Individuals have to make teams as quickly as possible based on the call-outs, like” people with one cat” or “people who play video games.”

Individuals must quickly figure out who meets the criteria and form a team. This exercise can be repeated with as many questions as you like.

Materials you’ll need Just yourselves and some places to sit. If you have a large team, ensure enough space to play.

How many people: Small to large teams (8 to 25+ people)

How to play Pop explosion

Another game that’s best for outside! If you have ever seen YouTube videos of dropping a mint into a soda bottle, then you know that a large explosion happens. This is a fun little experiment that you can make into a game by seeing who can reach the explosion first. You may also want to name a winner for the highest-reaching eruption too.

How to play Giant Twister

Instructions: Create a large Twister board on the ground using colorful circles or mats. Players take turns spinning the wheel and placing their hands or feet on the corresponding colors without falling. The last person remaining on the board wins.

Materials needed: Large Twister board or mats.

Giant Twister adds laughter, physical activity, and friendly competition to the picnic. It promotes flexibility, balance, and creates a lively and entertaining atmosphere for participants and spectators.

How to host a video contest

Short-form videos have become extremely popular - just look at the success of platforms like TikTok. Let everyone bring their inner influencer out by creating their own video to share with everyone. This can be a really exciting competition and great for team-building. It works best with smaller teams. Break people into groups and give them one hour to script, produce, and polish their video content.

You can either let their imaginations run wild or choose a theme for everyone to work with. Make sure everyone has access to necessary video editing software or other tools so that they can make their video even if they’re beginners. Have a great prize ready for the winner - bonus points for a movie-themed gift like theater tickets or “movie night basket” with an Amazon card, popcorn, and snacks.

How to play Custom Word Search

Word searches are common fun for people of all ages, but they can really help with word-play. A word search is perfect if you want to use a handout with a group. You can also play via teleconference using a whiteboard feature. Research some options online to come up with a personalized word search with words that apply to your business or industry.